"But a stigma placed on cash-like welfare (which food stamps are) remains a positive sign of a healthy work ethic. If you came across two societies--Society A, in which food stamps were stigmatized, with families reluctant to go on the dole even if they were eligible, and Society B, in which they weren't, you would want to bet on (and live in) Society A. It's one thing to relax the stigma on welfare in times of epic economic decline. It's another if the stigma doesn't return with the possibility of employment."

I agree. Making entitlement programs too accessible also makes them too attractive. Many years ago, it was known as "the dole", and it was considered shameful if you didn't do everything you could to avoid it.

The 9/11 Never Forget Coalition, a diverse group of 9/11 victims, family members, first responders, active and reserve members of the military, veterans, and concerned Americans, is holding December 5th rally protesting the plan to bring the 9/11 terrorist conspirators to trial in New York City.

The Coalition formed to fight the decision of President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder to try the 9/11 co-conspirators in New York City’s federal court, effectively giving war criminals the same rights as American citizens while endangering the safety of all New Yorkers."

The Times Online describes the murder of at least 25 people on a Russian train as the result of a "terrorist attack" , in quotation marks, as if it really wasn't one. For many Americans, the Fort Hood massacre was also a "terrorist attack".

Friday, November 27, 2009

Atlas Shrugs discusses the disgraceful,outrageous defense that the 9/11 terrorists will use. Can we please make sure we get the best prosecutors to make sure nobody falls for this garbage? They are evil murderers, not mental "victims"!

"I don't believe that Democrats in Congress actually disagree with the majority of voters who expect a government takeover of medicine to result in worse health care at a higher cost. Rather, the Democrats believe that degraded health care is an acceptable price to pay for what they are really after--government domination over the life of every citizen. Whether the American people understand how profound is the Democrats' assault on their liberties, and will be willing to do what it takes to throw the greedy rascals out of power, remains to be seen."

Unfortunately, most voters are morons who keep voting the same politicians into office over and over again. But why should the rest of us have to suffer?

"As much as I would love to spend my day off jockeying for a parking space in a crowded lot, I'm going to skip all the Black Friday festivities -- the fistfights, the screaming babies, the screaming adults, catching swine flu, the fender benders, the crowded food courts, the long lines at the wrapping desk and the cash register. One woman told me she does it so she's sure the stores won't run out of the gifts she 'needs' to get."

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

"There is a class of utterances that, when encountered, produces irritation, distress and, in some cases, the desire to kill. You hear or read one of these and your heart sinks. Everyone will have his or her (non)favorites. Mine is a three-word announcement on the TV screen, 'To Be Continued,' which says, 'I know that you have become invested in this story and are eager to find out how it ends, but you’re going to have to wait for a few days or a week or a month or forever.'"

I definitely agree with Soccer Dad. Murderous terrorists don't usually change their stripes, and to expect the release of such animals in exchange for Gilad Shalit is an outrage. If the Palestinians truly want peace, they should release him outright, without any conditions.

"In a fiery exchange at Thursday's Joint Economic Committee hearing with ranking Republican Kevin Brady (Texas), who suggested that Geithner had 'failed' and should reconsider his job, the Treasury secretary asserted that he and his team had made great strides bringing the economy back from 'the brink.' Sensing the exchange was about to grow more pointed, Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) informed Brady his time had expired. But Geithner still returned fire, blaming 'almost a decade of public neglect,' and the economic harm that it wrought on the country, on the Bush administration. Replied Brady, 'Tell all of that to the millions of Americans who no longer have jobs because of your decisions.'"

"So, persuaded by the positivism of the press, Americans voted for a charismatic fellow whose college transcripts, friendships and background -and seemingly all of his instincts- were cloaked in a secrecy untroubling to incurious media; a guy who promised 'the most transparent government ever,' and sensible government economic policies. The guy who, since becoming president, has revealed himself to be -not the open, bi-partisan, coalition-building, transparent tower of transcendent brilliance the American people thought they were getting- but a flip-flopping, thin-skinned, secretive, teleprompter-dependent, far-left radical spend-a-holic who talks incessantly and does not listen, who can’t tell us where the money has gone; a guy who says pretty much anything that comes into his head, whether it is true or not, and figures that’s the new history; a 'uniter' who has locked the opposition party out of every policy debate (there actually is no debate, anymore) and has weakend our influence abroad (by becoming 'the worst sort of ally') and our security at home, has disrespected, snubbed or betrayed every one of our allies, cozied up to tyrants and done little in a bare year besides bankrupting the country, dissing his predecessor at every opportunity, making us wonder what sort of government he is fomenting, and whether he is in fact, actively working to tear the country apart.In less than a year, the media’s choice for President, the guy they carried on their shoulders into the White House along with his 'most glamorous, most brilliant, most stylish First Lady, ever' has a surprising number of people missing George W. Bush. Obama even has some conservatives, myself among them, missing Bill and Hillary Clinton."

Thursday, November 19, 2009

"Al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Alwaki told a Yemen newspaper that he exchanged e-mails with Fort Hood assassin Major Nidal Hasan. The FBI intercepted the e-mails and said some of what Hasan wrote was benign and the rest was protected by the First Amendment. As long as killing Americans is part of your religious belief, we must be tolerant of it."

THIS is the word of the year? "Worst word of the year" is more like it!

"Birds are singing, the sun is shining and I am joyful first thing in the morning without caffeine. Why you ask? Because it is Word of the Year time (or WOTY as we refer to it around the office). Every year the New Oxford American Dictionary prepares for the holidays by making its biggest announcement of the year. This announcement is usually applauded by some and derided by others and the ongoing conversation it sparks is always a lot of fun, so I encourage you to let us know what you think in the comments.Without further ado, the 2009 Word of the Year is: unfriend.unfriend – verb – To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.As in, 'I decided to unfriend my roommate on Facebook after we had a fight.'"

Monday, November 16, 2009

"It makes no more sense to try those responsible in a civilian court than it would have been to hold a trial for the Japanese who bombed Pearl Harbor.On a purely self-interested note, New Yorkers must be wondering whether it makes sense for their city -- still a high-priority terrorist target -- to have another bull's-eye painted on its buildings.Of course it doesn't.But bringing the world's most notorious terrorists to New York for criminal trials will do just that.Alas, that's the reality of it."

"NBC announced Wednesday that five of its prime-time programs are featuring green, pro-environmental messages in their scripts. It's obvious that NBC's parent company GE is trying to get stimulus money for the windmills they manufacture. If Jay Leno has to tell jokes only Al Gore would laugh at, don't blame the ratings on him."

I heard about this on ESPN radio this morning. I realize people are huge college football fans, but isn't this overdoing it just a bit? The victim of an armed robbery by Tennessee football players said,

" 'I think they should still be able to play football, regardless,' he said. 'Tennessee is my place. It's my football team.''Even after they put a gun in your face, you say let them play football?' 6 News asked.'Yeah, it's Tennessee. That's the way it is sometimes,' Zickefoose said."

"Any life cut short is 'a waste' .... John Allen Muhammad's attorney even said, 'The state of Virginia will execute a severely mentally ill man.' Now he's gone. It breaks my heart and kills the hope that people can change, that mistakes can be corrected, and that life has the possibility of rebirth."

Since when is deliberately shooting & killing people at random considered a "mistake"?

Friday, November 13, 2009

Here's yet another column, this time by Suzanne Fields, about the baffling approval by Jews for Obama. Her title says it all -- "Deaf Ears, Dumb Voters": "Many Israelis are puzzled by how American Jews give the president a passing grade on the kishke test..."

"Medicalizing mass murder not only exonerates. It turns the murderer into a victim, indeed a sympathetic one. After all, secondary PTSD, for those who believe in it (you won't find it in DSM-IV-TR, psychiatry's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), is known as 'compassion fatigue.' The poor man -- pushed over the edge by an excess of sensitivity. Have we totally lost our moral bearings? Nidal Hasan (allegedly) cold-bloodedly killed 13 innocent people. In such cases, political correctness is not just an abomination. It's a danger, clear and present."

And speaking of mass murder, isn't it obscene that Khalid Sheik Mohammed and his fellow terrorists will go on trial in New York? The thought of it makes me ill.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

"The Survey of American Jewish Language and Identity reports on the results of an online survey of 25,179 American Jews and 4,874 American Gentiles. Non-Jews say 'klutz' but not 'schmutz.' The more Orthodox you are, the more likely you are to say "Good Shabbos" instead of "Shabbat Shalom." And so much more you'll plotz."

This article and this one discuss the importance of Armistice Day/Veterans Day, created to commemorate the end of World War I at 11 am on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, November 11, 1918.

As usual, Melanie Phillips nails it: "One really has to wonder, looking at this reaction to the fanatic psychiatrist whom the US authorities employed to counsel their soldiers, just who really needs the clinical treatment here."

From 1961 to 1989, the Berlin Wall dominated Germany. Deutsche Welle has a good section on the 20th anniversary of its fall. The British Daily Mail shows some before-and-after photos. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the beginning of the end of Communism are things I never expected to see in my lifetime. I had a penpal in East Germany at that time, and I remember how odd it felt to finally start writing simply "Germany" rather than "East Germany" on the envelope.

Saturday, November 07, 2009

"Fort Hood shooting: Texas army killer linked to September 11 terrorists... Hasan, the sole suspect in the massacre of 13 fellow US soldiers in Texas, attended the controversial Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Virginia, in 2001 at the same time as two of the September 11 terrorists, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt."

Wizbang perfectly puts into words what I and many others have been thinking, not only since last week, but for many years:

"...[I]t's time to trot out the standard playbook for Muslim leaders to distract Americans from yet another Muslim-perpetrated atrocity. (The order of these is somewhat fluid, to avoid appearing too obviously stock).First up, condemn the atrocity in no uncertain terms. It was terrible, a tragedy, just awful, and our devout prayers go to Allah for the victims of this awful incident.It's important to de-emphasize the details as much as possible. Words such as 'tragedy' and 'incident' work to disguise the sheer evil of the actions.Next, start distancing Islam from the crime. Say that such things are abhorrent to 'true' Muslims, that no 'real' Muslim would ever do any such thing, and they find them as appalling and saddening (NOT enraging) as everyone else. If done right, the impression that is conveyed is that they are even more upset over it than everyone -- but they're too modest to say so clearly.Then start rationalizing the deed itself. This must be done with a fine touch -- talk about how sick the individual must be to have done it, and talk about what sorts of things might have triggered the psychosis. Be careful, though; it's a fine line to tiptoe, between 'what this guy did was justified' and 'we need to know what caused it, so we might prevent it from happening again.'This is when you go into the Crazed Muslim Of The Week's line of excuses for why he did what he did and talk about how he was a bit off kilter, but there is some substance to his ravings. Muslims ARE being persecuted and oppressed around the world, and while it's terrible that such a tragic thing happened, perhaps some good can come of it if some attention is shone on these abuses of the adherents of the Religion Of Peace...Then there's the final step. This one is the one that takes the biggest stones. (Which is entirely appropriate for a religion whose most sacred object is a big rock in the middle of the desert.) You have to pre-emptively claim victim status for yourselves.Talk about how concerned you are that there will be a backlash against ordinary, peaceful Muslims around the nation. Oh, most Americans are fine, upstanding, decent folk who understand fully that this awful, awful tragedy in no way reflects on Islam (never mind what the nutcase was saying about his motives before, during, and after), but there are some who will wrongly blame Islam for it -- and lash out at the poor, innocent, peaceful Muslims.One minor problem with that: there's never been a real backlash against Muslims in America.When Muslims acting in the name of Allah tried to blow up the World Trade Center, there was no massive backlash.When a Muslim acting in the name of Allah shot up the El Al ticket counter at LAX, there was no massive backlash.When two Muslims acting in the name of Allah went on a sniping spree in and around DC, there was no massive backlash.When a Muslim acting in the name of Allah drove his SUV through the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill, there was no massive backlash.When a Muslim acting in the name of Allah ran down people all over San Francisco, there was no massive backlash.When a Muslim acting in the name of Allah shot up the Seattle Jewish Federation, there was no massive backlash.When a Muslim acting in the name of Allah shot seven people atop the Empire State Building, there was no massive backlash.When a Muslim acting in the name of Allah shot up a movie theatre in Baltimore, there was no massive backlash.When a Muslim acting in the name of Allah shot up a van filled with Orthodox Jews, there was no massive backlash.When a Muslim acting in the name of Allah killed five people in a mall in Salt Lake City, there was no massive backlash.And when Muslims acting in the name of Allah killed over 3,000 people on September 11, 2001, there certainly was no massive backlash whatsoever."

"We call that three strikes: taking away Americans’ current insurance plans, replacing them with a system of government rationing, and burning through more than a trillion steadily depreciating U.S. dollars to get it done."

"Most people have earned money by producing something that other people wanted. But getting what you want by what you have earned, rather than by what elites will deign to allow you to have, is completely incompatible with the vision of an elite-controlled world, which they call 'social justice' or other politically attractive phrases. The 'uninsured' are another big talking point for government medical insurance. But the incomes of many of the uninsured indicate that many — if not most — of them choose to be uninsured. Poor people can get insurance through Medicaid. Free loading at emergency rooms — mandated by government — makes being uninsured a viable option."

Meet Sgt. Kimberly Munley, the hero of Fort Hood. When I heard the unwelcome news that mass murderer Hasan had unfortunately survived being shot, all I could think of was Sollozzo's line after learning that Don Corleone wasn't dead: "He's still alive. They hit him with five shots, and he's still alive!"

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

"The message from voters: Enough. Enough big government. Enough massive spending. Enough deficits and debt. Enough sky-high taxes. Enough huge entitlement programs. Enough dismissing the will of the people. Enough radicalism in the White House and Congress. Enough seizure of our freedoms. Enough ravaging of the Constitution. Tonight, the American people said, 'Enough'. Enough to incompetence and unresponsiveness and disrespect from the Democratic president and members of Congress. And there’s a message in here for Republicans too: if you don’t learn the lesson of this victory, we’ll hold your feet to the fire as well. We’re mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore."

"I am, however, nostalgic for the days when the American President seemed to be fond of his country, and its people. This is largely because I have increasing doubts that our current President is fond of either one."

Obama himself is an evil-doer, for what he's done to this country in just ten months.